


Greener Pastures

by Gilrael



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ennoshita is a writer, Getting Together, Horseback Riding, Horses, M/M, Tanaka owns a stable, minor KinoNari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-06-07 20:18:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15227079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: “What? Thunder?” Chikara asked once he remembered that the stranger was talking to him.“Yeah, Thunder,” the stranger said, coming to stand beside Chikara and patting the horse's neck. The horse whinnied quietly and rubbed its head against the guy's shoulder. “His full name is Rolling Thunder, but that's a bit of a mouthful, so everyone calls him Thunder.”“Is he yours?” Chikara asked curiously.“Yeah. I own the stable over there.” The man pointed at a complex of multiple large buildings on the other side of the road. “I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke by the way.”“Ennoshita Chikara,” Chikara introduced himself. “Nice to meet you, Tanaka-san.”~~~Having hit a massive writer's block, author Ennoshita Chikara decides that he needs a change of scenery and moves from Tokyo to a town in rural Miyagi. There, he meets Tanaka Ryuunosuke who owns a stable and whose legs look amazing in breeches. In an effort to get closer to Tanaka, Ennoshita decides to sign up for riding lessons.





	1. Rolling Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> Recently, I was looking through the bookshelves at my parents' flat and found a bunch of old YA books about horse riding that I used to _love_ as a teenager. Of course, my brain immediately went "EnnoTana horse riding AU", and here we are lol  
>  Please keep in mind that my knowledge of English horse riding vocabulary is limited because English is not my first language. I've also never taken horse riding lessons myself, but I have spent quite some time around horses because I have friends who own them. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the EnnoTana horse riding shenanigans!

Chikara heaved a sigh of relief as the front door snapped shut behind his new neighbours. They had come to greet him not even an hour after he'd arrived in his new home, bringing with them a huge amount of fruit from their garden as a welcome gift. Chikara should've seen this coming probably. This was the countryside after all, and, as the Nishinoyas had assured him, it was highly unusual for young people to move here from the city. Not that Chikara felt particularly young at thirty-two years, but it wasn't like he could say that to an elderly couple who were both literally more than twice as old.

Having finally said goodbye to his curious visitors, Chikara was now ready to finish cleaning the house and unpack his boxes. Well, at least the ones that contained the essentials. By the time his stomach started growling, Chikara had only managed to unpack his clothes, toiletries and kitchenware, leaving countless boxes of books and reference material for work. But that was for Future Chikara to worry about. For now, he had to find something to eat.

Maybe there was a restaurant in town? Heck, at this point Chikara would even make do with a cheap preprepared bento from a corner shop.

He got out his phone and realised that he hadn't set up his WiFi router yet. Sighing, he turned on his mobile data so he could use Google. Unsurprisingly, the connection was terrible. He probably should've thought about that before running away from the city to live somewhere nice and quiet. Well, at least he now had a good excuse to ignore messages from Kinoshita and Narita. But he still wasn't patient enough to wait five minutes for his search results to load, so he grabbed an apple from the basket his neighbours had brought over and decided to just walk around town and look for a shop himself.

Chikara bit into the apple as he walked down the road towards the town centre. It was sweet and juicy, better than any apple he could've bought at the market near his old flat in Tokyo. Maybe having a nosy elderly couple living in the house next to his wasn't so bad after all. He took another bite. Yeah, befriending the Nishinoyas might actually be worth it if it meant that they'd share their apples with him again.

Focussed as Chikara was on finding food, he barely noticed the pasture he was walking past. Accordingly, he was surprised when a horse suddenly started trotting along beside him on the other side of the fence. Chikara almost dropped his apple, catching it at the last second before it fell to the ground.

“Whoa!” He stopped and shook his head at himself. It was just a horse. No need to freak out.

“Don't sneak up on me like that,” he admonished as he realised that the horse had also stopped and stuck its head over the fence to look at him. Chikara couldn't remember ever having been this close to a horse in his entire life. Its size was quite intimidating, but there was also something majestic about this creature. It had a glossy black coat of fur with a narrow white stripe down the middle of its face.

And then the horse pulled up its upper lip, revealing its massive teeth in a goofy facial expression that had Chikara chuckling. So much for being majestic.

“Thunder wants your apple,” someone said, making Chikara turn his head. A man who had to be around Chikara's age was crossing the road and walking up to Chikara and the horse. He was wearing sleek black riding boots over a pair of grey breeches that made it almost impossible for Chikara to look away from his legs. Whoever this was, he had the nicest legs Chikara had ever seen on a guy, and Chikara had spent half his life surreptitiously checking out other men.

“What? Thunder?” Chikara asked once he remembered that the stranger was talking to him.

“Yeah, Thunder,” the stranger said, coming to stand beside Chikara and patting the horse's neck. The horse whinnied quietly and rubbed its head against the guy's shoulder. “His full name is Rolling Thunder, but that's a bit of a mouthful, so everyone calls him Thunder.”

“Is he yours?” Chikara asked curiously.

“Yeah. I own the stable over there.” The man pointed at a complex of multiple large buildings on the other side of the road. “I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke by the way.”

“Ennoshita Chikara,” Chikara introduced himself. “Nice to meet you, Tanaka-san.”

“Are you visiting someone here, Ennoshita-san?” Tanaka-san asked, a smile sneaking on his face as Thunder turned his attention back to Chikara. Thunder was doing that thing with his upper lip again and poking his head through the wide gap between the bars of the fence.

“I just moved here,” Chikara replied, taking a quick step back when he felt Thunder's hot breath against the back of his hand.

“If I were you, I'd either finish eating that apple or give it to him,” Tanaka-san said. His smile had turned into a fully fledged grin that made Chikara's heart skip a beat. If Chikara had known that men in the countryside of Miyagi prefecture could be this hot, he would've moved here sooner.

“Is he even allowed to have apples?” Chikara asked. He knew absolutely nothing about horses or their diets.

“Apples are fine as a treat now and then,” Tanaka-san assured him. Chikara looked down at his half-eaten apple and then at Thunder whose large brown eyes looked way too innocent.

“Fine, you can have the rest of my apple,” Chikara sighed.

“Keep your hand flat,” Tanaka-san instructed. “You don't want him to accidentally bite you.”

That comment only served to make Chikara feel even more nervous around the horse, but he couldn't back off now. He couldn't act like a total coward in front of a handsome man he'd only just met. And so Chikara held out the apple, making sure to keep his hand flat. Thunder ate it without hesitation, his soft lips tickling Chikara's palm.

“Great! Now that you had your treat, let me bring you back inside,” Tanaka-san said as he climbed over the fence.

“Erm, I have to get going now,” Chikara said, remembering that he'd wanted to grab food. “Can you tell me where I can find a place that sells bentos or cup noodles?”

“Just keep walking down this road,” Tanaka-san said, pulling a headcollar over Thunder's ears. “There's a corner shop in the middle of town. You can't miss it.”

“Thank you very much,” Chikara said. “Have a nice day.”

“It was nice talking to you, Ennoshita-san. I'll see you around,” Tanaka-san said, giving a short wave before leading Thunder towards the gate. It took all of Chikara's willpower to turn away from the sight of Tanaka-san's ass in those riding breeches.

 

***

 

“Holy shit, Thunder, you make a better wingman than Noya-san,” Ryuu mumbled as he led the black horse into his box.

“What blasphemous words do I hear?” Noya-san asked with mock indignation. Ryuu hadn't even noticed that his friend was currently cleaning one of the boxes next to Thunder's. Ryuu just shrugged.

“This boy was pestering a really hot guy for apples when I went to get him,” he explained, patting Thunder's neck. “Seems like someone finally moved into Watanabe-san's old house.”

“It's about time, really, that house has been empty for ages,” Noya-san said, leaning on his pitchfork. “What's the guy like?”

“Hot as fuck,” was the first thing that came to Ryuu's mind. “Probably our age. Kinda skittish around horses, but I think he might have taken a liking to Thunder.”

“Who _doesn't_ like Thunder?” Noya-san rolled his eyes. “Does this guy have a name, though?”

“Ennoshita Chikara.”

“Huh. Isn't there an author with a name like that?” Noya-san asked. “I think Yacchan is a fan of him.”

“Hm, I'll ask him the next time I see him.” It would definitely make for a nice conversation topic. Even if it turned out that Ennoshita Chikara, the hot guy with the apple, wasn't the same person as Ennoshita Chikara, the author, Ryuu would have a chance to find out more about him.

 


	2. Book ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk assholes are screaming outside of my window, so I haven't been able to fall asleep. Instead, I finished up this chapter. I did my best to edit and proofread, so I hope it's coherent lol

All boxes were unpacked, their contents neatly stowed away in cupboards, closets and shelves. The desk was set up by the window, overlooking one of the pastures of the nearby stable. On the desk, between the laptop and reading lamp, stood a freshly prepared cup of green tea.

Three days after moving, Chikara did not have a reason to put off work anymore, so he sat down at the desk, typed the password to unlock his laptop and groaned when he saw a bunch of notifications for e-mails pop up in the corner of the screen. One was spam, one was from his old landlord, and the newest two from his editor and his agent.

Chikara deleted the spam, had a quick look at the e-mail informing him that he'd be getting back his full security deposit, and then stared at the subject lines of the other two e-mails.

 

From: Narita Kazuhito

Subject: Book ideas

 

From: Kinoshita Hisashi

Subject: Re: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

 

Neither subject matter seemed appealing at the moment.

Chikara took a sip of tea and then a deep breath. Ignoring the e-mails, he opened up the folder where he kept all his ideas and stray snippets of prose. Over the last ten years, it had migrated from one computer to the next and become rather full, but maybe there was something in there he could use, something that would click with him, something that he could develop into a novel or a short story at least.

Sighing, Chikara clicked back to his inbox and opened the mail from his agent.

 

From: Kinoshita Hisashi (kinoshita@flawlessagency.jp)

Subject: Re: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

> Chikara, please. Don't stress yourself out so much. Your publisher is not going to drop you just because you can't deliver a new book as quickly as you did with your Winter Flowers series. You've made them enough money already. They'll wait for you.

> Cheers,

> Hisashi

 

Chikara shook his head. Hisashi didn't get it. The problem wasn't that he couldn't write as quickly as he used to. No. He just couldn't write. Period. Crow's Nest Publishing was going to wait forever.

Another sip of tea. Another deep breath. Time for the e-mail from Kazuhito.

 

From: Narita Kazuhito (naritak@cnpublishing.jp)

Subject: Book ideas

> Hey Chikara,

> How's the countryside treating you? Hisashi told me that you've been struggling to come up with ideas for what to write next, so maybe your new environment can serve as an inspiration. Go out for walks. Try talking to the locals. Maybe that'll get the ideas flowing.

> On another note, our company is looking for a new columnist for our monthly women's magazine. I already went ahead and sent the job details to Hisashi.

> Best wishes,

> Kazuhito

 

A monthly women's magazine. Great. Chikara was aware that the book series that had gotten him on all those bestseller lists had mostly struck a chord with female audiences, but that hadn't been intentional. He'd never written anything with a particular audience in mind, not even when he'd still been a university student writing short stories for his literature club's biannual newsletter. The other club members had always told him that his stories were odd and barely fitting for a publication aimed at university students, but they'd printed them anyway.

Writing with one specific audience in mind was going to be hard.

Sighing, Chikara looked out of his window at the green grass that was gently swaying in the breeze. There were four horses out on the pasture today, among them Thunder. Or at least another black horse. Chikara couldn't tell from the distance.

Kazuhito had suggested that Chikara should take a walk, hadn't he? Maybe Chikara would run into Tanaka-san again. It couldn't be considered slacking off when he was just following his editor's advice to talk to the locals, right?

Yes. Chikara downed the last of his tea and got up from his desk. Before leaving the house, he went to the kitchen a picked the last apple out of the bowl of fruit he kept on the counter.

 

***

 

“So far, two girls have signed up for the beginner's course,” Yacchan said, eyes focused on the screen of her laptop. “Four people want to move on to intermediate lessons, and two people want to move on to advanced lessons. Since Yukimura-kun and Shima-chan don't want to continue taking lessons that means that we have two people in beginner's lessons, six in intermediate and four in advanced lessons.”

“Hm, that means we'll have to split the intermediate lessons in two,” Ryuu mused. “Or I'll have to ask Noya-san to lend Sakura to us. We don't have enough horses otherwise.”

“That's what I've been thinking, too.” Yacchan finally looked up at Ryuu. “Shall I speak to Nishinoya-san?”

“I'll do it myself,” Ryuu said, getting up from his office chair. “I gotta get back to work anyway, so I'll probably run into him.”

“Okay then. Tell me what he says so I can print out a new schedule for the riding hall,” Yacchan said.

“Will do!”

Ryuu had no idea how his aunt had been taking care of the stable and its finances all by herself before he'd taken over last year. Having Yacchan around to do all the office work for him was a blessing. Ever since he'd hired her, Ryuu could focus on what he liked best – teaching people horse riding and care.

He'd grown up surrounded by horses, and after his first riding lesson at age eight, Ryuu had immediately decided that he wanted to be a professional equestrian when he grew up. He'd started taking part in eventing competitions in high school and had started working as a groom at his aunt's stable as soon as he graduated. Eventually, he had decided to get the qualifications needed to become a riding instructor. Despite his moderate success in competitions, Ryuu decided to dedicate himself fully to teaching when he'd taken over the stable.

Ryuu made his way across the yard to the loose boxes. He'd been in the process of leading the horses onto the pasture when Yacchan had called him into the office. He grabbed Snowflake's and Hana's headcollars and leads from the hooks by the door and clicked his tongue. Immediately the two mares turned to look at him.

“Time to go outside!” Ryuu told them as he put the headcollars on them. As he led the horses outside, Ryuu noticed Noya-san leaving the riding hall with Sakura.

“Hey, Noya-san,” Ryuu called out to him. “Would you mind if we used Sakura for the intermediate lessons starting next month? We're short one horse...”

“Fine by me,” Noya-san said, patting his mare's neck. “As long as you're not using her for beginner's lessons, she'll be fine.”

“Of course.” Ryuu knew that Sakura wasn't the easiest horse to work with. Much like her owner, she was headstrong and temperamental at times. “I was thinking about letting Takeru-kun ride her. He'll be ready to move on to advanced lessons soon anyway.”

“Sounds good!” Noya-san nodded and adjusted the stirrups on Sakura's saddle. “Well, I wanted to go hacking for a bit, so I must be off.”

“Have fun,” Ryuu said, watching Noya-san get in the saddle.

“Thanks!” And with that, Noya-san rode off towards the fields.

“C'mon, girls,” Ryuu said, tugging at the leads of Hana and Snowflake and leading them toward the pasture. As Ryuu crossed the road with them, he noticed a familiar figure leaning on the fence and petting Thunder's mane. Ryuu had to suppress his laughter when Thunder tried to rub his head on Ennoshita-san's shoulder, causing Ennoshita-san to take a quick step back, his body language spelling out alarm.

Ennoshita-san turned around as he heard the clopping of hooves on asphalt. “Hello, Tanaka-san,” he said, nodding politely.

“Hello!” Ryuu said, quietly excited to get another chance to talk to Ennoshita-san again. “Could you open the gate for me and these lovely ladies?”

“Ladies?” Ennoshita-san raised an eyebrow as he fiddled with the lock on the gate. “Is it okay for them to be on the same pasture as Thunder?”

Ryuu chuckled. “He's a gelding, so there's no need to worry about accidental foals.”

“Gelding?” Ennoshita-san asked, finally managing to push open the gate.

“He's castrated,” Ryuu clarified.

“Oh.” Ennoshita-san looked stricken, which, in Ryuu's experience, wasn't an unusual reaction from a guy.

“We don't keep stallions here,” Ryuu said as he took off the headcollars and let Hana and Snowflake run free on the pasture. “Not anymore at least. Thunder over there was a bit of an accident.”

“How come?” Ennoshita-san asked.

Ryuu stepped out of the pasture and closed the gate behind himself. “Well, we used to fence off a part of the pasture for Thunder's dad, but he managed to escape. He'd already mounted one of the mares before we'd noticed, and eleven months later, Thunder was born.”

“That's quite the story.” Ennoshita-san's words rang a bell in Ryuu's mind.

“That reminds me... You probably get this question all the time, but are you _that_ Ennoshita Chikara? The author?” Ryuu asked, repeating Noya-san's suspicion.

Ennoshita-san pulled a grimace and sighed.

“Yeah, that's me,” he mumbled.

“Amazing!” Ryuu exclaimed, not really getting why Ennoshita-san suddenly seemed so dejected. “Yacchan – she works in our office – really likes your books!”

Ennoshita-san grumbled unintelligibly and turned back around to watch the horses frolic on the pasture.

“Is something wrong?” Ryuu asked, panic bubbling up inside of him. How had he managed to mess this up? He'd just been trying to get a conversation going. Maybe he should've stuck to horse talk. He was way better at horse talk.

“Nah.” Ennoshita-san sighed and graced Ryuu with a tired smile, lids heavy over his warm brown eyes. “I just haven't written anything in weeks, so it sounds weird to be called an author.”

“Why haven't you been writing?” Ryuu blurted out and immediately regretted it. “I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry...”

“It's okay,” Ennoshita-san said. “I finished up my first big series of books and now everyone is expecting me to write something that's equally impressive. The pressure's a little much.”

“Ah, yeah, I think I can relate?” Ryuu mused, resting his arm on the top bar of the fence. “I used to do eventing competitions. And one year I'd been doing exceptionally well and that kinda made me nervous, I guess? So I messed up in the following competition.”

“At least you were still competing at all,” Ennoshita-san muttered.

For a moment, an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Well, at least for Ryuu it was uncomfortable. Ryuu didn't really know this guy yet, but he definitely knew one thing – he didn't want to see Ennoshita-san be sad. That frown was a waste of his handsome face.

“Is there something I can do to help?” Ryuu asked in an attempt to cheer Ennoshita-san up.

“Probably not.” Ennoshita-san shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Okay then. You know where to find me if you change your mind,” Ryuu said, pointing at his stable. “Well, I should go and actually do some work.”

“I didn't mean to distract you from your work, sorry!” Ennoshita-san said, bowing his head.

“No worries, talking to you is a rather pleasant distraction,” Ryuu said, hoping that his attempt at flirting wasn't too obvious, just in case Ennoshita-san was one of _those_ straight guys. Ryuu liked having plausible deniability.

“I'm glad.” Ennoshita-san smiled for real this time, setting off a bunch of butterflies in Ryuu's stomach. Ryuu really needed to leave before he said something stupid.

 

***

 

Having said goodbye to Tanaka-san, Chikara was once again left to admire the guy's impressive ass. Tanaka-san was wearing jeans today which weren't quite as formfitting as those riding breeches from last time, but they still managed to accentuate that shapely butt.

_I'm way too gay for this world_ , Chikara thought. He really needed an excuse to talk to the guy more.

Sighing, Chikara decided to continue his walk. So far, neither petting the horses nor talking to Tanaka-san had helped him find inspiration for his next writing project. He could probably manage to write a poem about the beauty of Tanaka-san's legs, but there was no way anyone would want to publish his stupid gay thoughts.

Before Chikara noticed, his own legs had carried him to the town centre. Last time he'd come here, he'd found a lovely little bakery that sold amazing savoury muffins. Chikara decided that he might as well have lunch as long as he was here.

Having purchased a bacon muffin and a melon bread, Chikara sat down on the bench in front of the bakery, determined to observe small-town life while he ate. It certainly was a lot quieter than what Chikara was used to, but it wasn't lifeless. There were no masses of people fast-walking to the next train station, no traffic with drivers honking impatiently at the guy in front of them who hadn't noticed the light turn green. Instead, people walked leisurely, greeting the people they met on the way and stopping to chat with friends. Sometimes someone would throw a curious glance in Chikara's direction, but nobody ever approached him. In Tokyo, at least one person would've recognised him and asked if he could sign something for them.

“...and then Tanaka said that Takeru will be ready to join the advanced riding lessons in a month!”

Chikara's head snapped up as he overheard the conversation of two men who'd just left the bakery.

“That's nice,” the shorter, black-haired one said.

“It's not just nice, Iwa-chan! It feels like it's only been days since he started riding lessons with Tanaka!” the taller, brown-haired one exclaimed.

“I'm sure it's been a couple years already–” Iwa-chan started, but his companion talked right over him.

“Takeru is following in his uncle's footsteps, I tell you!”

“If you say so...”

Their conversation grew quieter and quieter the further they moved away from Chikara, but it wasn't like Chikara cared all that much. He'd been struck by a sudden idea – he could take riding lessons at Tanaka-san's stable and pass it off as research for his next book. It was genius, the perfect excuse to talk to Tanaka-san. And maybe, if Chikara was lucky, he'd actually get an idea for his next book out of this.

 


	3. Riding gear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand I'm back. Sorry for the wait, summer heat made me unable to function like a normal human being and then I was in Norway visiting the boyfriend. But I'm back! (I'll have to start writing my thesis tho, so updates probably won't be very frequent...)

“You want to write a novel about horse riding,” Hisashi repeated on the other end of the line.

“Yes,” Chikara confirmed as he walked up and down his bedroom.

“Do you even know anything about equestrian sports?” Hisashi asked sceptically. “We've been friends for ages, and I can't remember a single instance of you mentioning horses ever.”

“I have sources,” Chikara said. “There's a pasture right in front of my window, and I started talking to the owner of the stable. I'm sure Tanaka-san would be willing to answer any questions I may have.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Hisashi sighed. “Is this 'Tanaka-san' a guy?”

Chikara had been caught red-handed, but there was no way he was going to admit that.

“Yes. So what?”

“Chikara, I know you,” Hisashi said flatly. “There's no way you'd get close to a horse if there wasn't a hot guy involved.”

There was some truth in that – Chikara would've never even considered any of this if Tanaka-san didn't have the legs of a young god – but he'd spent more time petting Thunder than talking to Tanaka-san.

“So what if Tanaka-san is my type? I'm not just doing this to get in his pants,” Chikara argued. “This is the first idea I've had since I finished Winter Flowers that I actually feel like working on.”

Hisashi heaved another long-suffering sigh. “Fine. Not like I can stop you. Should I inform Crow's Nest about your plans, or do you want me to wait until you've actually started figuring out the plot?”

Chikara knew exactly what Hisashi was doing here. He wanted Chikara to admit that he had absolutely no idea what his plot was going to look like. But Chikara wasn't going to give in.

“You can tell them,” Chikara said defiantly.

“Oh my god, this guy must have some amazing abs for you to go this far,” Hisashi muttered.

“I haven't seen his abs yet, but his legs and ass are a work of art,” Chikara informed his friend, earning a drawn-out groan.

“I'll inform your publisher. But don't come crying to me if this doesn't work out!”

Hisashi didn't have to worry about that. Chikara had every intention to _make_ this work out, even if it was the last thing he did.

 

***

 

In general, Ryuu didn't have a lot of free time. Owning a stable was the kind of full-time job that didn't know days off. Whenever he was unable to work because of a family wedding or similar obligations, he had to find someone who was willing to take over his work for him. The horses had to be fed and groomed, and the loose boxes needed to be cleaned. It was a daily commitment, but it was one that Ryuu took on gladly. Even if Ryuu did end up having some time for himself, he still spent most of it around his horses – going hacking with friends, sitting in the straw of Thunder's loose box while he read manga...

Today, instead of a manga it was a book.

Ryuu had borrowed it from Yacchan immediately after his last conversation with Ennoshita-san. The cover was kept relatively simple, just a small green plant poking through a white layer of snow with the words _Winter Flowers – Sprout_ written beneath. Ryuu would've never thought to pick this up by himself. He'd never been big on literature, but there was a first time for everything.

Ryuu leaned back against the wooden walls of the box and opened the book.

 

_Icy winds tore at Junko's clothes, almost unravelling her scarf with their force. She grabbed it at the last second before it could fly off into the unforgiving cold of winter..._

 

Hours later, Ryuu was unceremoniously ripped from his fictional world by a knock on the side of Thunder's box. Ryuu looked up to see Noya-san lean on the door and petting Thunder's muzzle.

“It's time to serve dinner,” Noya-san reminded Ryuu, pointing at an imaginary wristwatch.

“Oh!” Ryuu carefully got up from the floor, one of his legs having fallen asleep and tingling painfully. “I'll be with you in a second.”

Slowly, Ryuu limped out of Thunder's box and followed Noya-san into the feed room. He'd been utterly absorbed in Ennoshita-san's book. Junko, the heroine, was relatable and complex, and her story had Ryuu so hooked that he kept thinking about it while he filled buckets with pellets and hay according to the needs of his horses. Ryuu couldn't remember a time when a novel had caught his attention like this. He'd dutifully read all of the books his teachers had assigned back in his secondary school days. Those books had been considered classics, but to Ryuu, they'd just felt old and stuffy, and he'd fallen asleep reading them more than once. Ryuu had no idea what made Ennoshita-san's writing so different, but maybe he'd figure that out once he actually finished reading.

Ryuu was still lost in thought when his phone started ringing in his pocket. He finished refilling Hana's hay net before he picked up the call.

“Yes?”

“T-tanaka-san,” Yacchan stuttered nervously, “E-ennoshita-sensei is waiting in the o-office f-for you.”

Ryuu's eyes went wide. “I'll be there in a second,” he muttered and hung up the call. “Noya-san?”

“Hm?” Ryuu's friend looked up from where he was picking Sakura's hooves. 

“Can you finish up filling the hay nets for me? Yacchan needs me at the office.”

 

 

***

 

Chikara didn't really have a reference for what stables were supposed to look like. The closest he'd been to seeing one in person had been when he'd taken his ex on a date to the petting zoo. There had been a single pony, and the tiny horse had decided that his ex's green baseball cap looked edible, promptly snatching it off of his head. The whole date had been a bit of disaster. Admittedly, so had been the rest of the relationship, but Chikara wasn't going to think about any of that now that he was sitting in the office of Tanaka-san's stable with his very nervous secretary.

“H-he said that he'll b-be here in a second,” Yachi-san said as she hung up the phone. 

“Thank you very much.” Chikara smiled at her, hoping that it might reassure her a bit, but instead, she stiffened up even more. 

“C-can I offer you some coffee? Or tea?” Yachi-san asked. “Or maybe you want water? Or soda? I think we should still have–” 

“Thank you. Water is fine,” Chikara interrupted her. She jumped up from her chair immediately and left to get his water. Well, as far as people recognising him went, this was preferable to the people who bothered him for autographs.

Shortly after Yachi-san returned with a glass of chilled water, Tanaka-san entered the office. 

“Ennoshita-san!” he said, a wide smile adorning up his handsome features. “What brings you here?”

Chikara put down his glass on the desk and cleared his throat. 

“Hello, Tanaka-san,” he said. “I, er, had an idea for a novel, and I kinda need your help with it.”

“Oh, really?” Tanaka-san quirked an eyebrow as he sat down in one of the empty chairs. “What will your novel be about?”

“I was thinking about an adventure story, and one of the characters would be riding a horse, and since I don't really have experience with horses, I thought it might be helpful to take riding lessons,” Chikara explained, hoping that Tanaka-san wouldn't press him for details about his plans for the book because there still weren't any.

“Oh, of course!” Tanaka-san's smile turned into a wide grin that lit up his whole face. “We offer group lessons and private lessons. The private lessons are a little more expensive, but I don't think you'd like to take lessons with a bunch of young girls...”

“Yes. Private lessons. Please,” Chikara said. This was even better than he'd imagined. Being alone with Tanaka-san would give him plenty of time to test the waters and flirt with the guy.

“Great,” Tanaka-san said, giving Chikara a once over. “We're roughly the same size, so I could probably lend you some breeches, but you'll definitely need to buy a proper pair of boots. And you'll need a helmet.”

“Oh. Er, is there anywhere in town where I could buy these things?” Chikara inquired, feeling stupid about not having considered that he would be needing gear for horse riding. 

“Eh, sadly no.” Tanaka-san shook his head.

“Um, we need to stock up on fly spray,” Yachi-san suddenly chimed in. “So maybe Ennoshita-sensei could accompany you when you go to buy it, Tanaka-san.”

_ Jackpot. _

 

***

 

There was something utterly endearing about how clueless Ennoshita-san was about riding equipment. Ryuu was more than happy to teach him.

“We should definitely start with the helmet,” Ryuu said after he'd grabbed a box full of fly spray, leading Ennoshita-san straight to where they would find the safety gear. “Although our school horses are all rather well behaved, there's still a chance that you might fall.”

Enooshita-san swallowed visibly. “Is riding that dangerous?”

“Eh, accidents happen.” Ryuu shrugged. “But don't worry. I've taken quite some falls, and the worst injuries I've sustained are bruises.”

Ennoshita-san didn't seem convinced, so Ryuu grabbed one of the helmets that looked like it might be Ennoshita-san's size and shoved it into his hands.

“C'mon try this one.”

Sighing, Ennoshita-san pulled it over his head. “It feels kinda loose?”

“Oh, there are straps!” Ryuu exclaimed. Without thinking, he moved in to adjust the helmet for Ennoshita-san, only realising how close their faces suddenly were when their eyes met. God, he had pretty eyes – deep brown, warm and lively beneath the sleepy lids. 

Clearing his throat, Ryuu tore his gaze away only for it to land on Ennoshita-san's lips. “Better?”

“Yeah,” Ennoshita-san whispered, lightly shaking his head to check the fit. “Feels a little loose, still.”

Ryuu took the opportunity to step away and grab another helmet before he did something stupid like brushing his fingers over Ennoshita-san's cheek. 

 

***

 

Later that afternoon, Chikara arrived home with a bag full of equipment for horse riding lessons. He'd looked up prices for gear beforehand but he was still surprised at just how much money he'd spent in the end. Well, at least he'd been able to spend an entire afternoon with Tanaka-san, and he had many more to look forward to once they started proper lessons next week. 

In high spirits, Chikara sat down at his desk, booted up his laptop, and opened his writing program. For the first time in months, the blank page in front of him filled him with excitement instead of dread. Overcoming this writer's block would be a challenge, but it wasn't impossible.

Taking a deep breath, Chikara started typing.

 

_ Ideas for setting: _

  * _fictional country, vaguely European?_

  * _large fields and woods in between villages and towns_

  * _..._




 


	4. Hoof picks and dandy brushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Uni has been kicking my ass, and I'm an idiot who can't focus on one creative project at a time...

There was something about seeing Ennoshita-san lead Thunder from the pasture to the stables that was utterly endearing to Ryuu. He looked so nervous, gripping the lead tighter than was strictly necessary and keeping up a stream of low muttering that probably wasn't meant for Ryuu's ears, but Ryuu had always had exceptional hearing.

“Please do not run away, Thunder. Just follow me. I do not want to embarrass myself in front of Tanaka-san, okay?”

It had been a good idea to choose Thunder for Ennoshita-san's first riding lesson. Many other horses would've probably picked up on Ennoshita-san's nerves and become nervous themselves, but not Thunder. He was as calm as ever. His ears twitched at the sound of Ennoshita-san's voice, his tail swishing from side to side as he walked alongside Ennoshita-san, but he showed no signs of freaking out.

Once Ryuu had shown Ennoshita-san how to properly tie up Thunder's lead, it was time for the grooming.

“Grooming before and after riding is very important,” Ryuu explained as he laid out the contents of the grooming box on the floor. “It's basically killing two birds with one stone. It gives you a chance to get acquainted with the horse, and you can make sure that it's healthy and doesn't have any small wounds that need treatment...”

Ennoshita-san was a good student. He listened attentively and quickly picked up on Ryuu's instructions. And as nervous as he still was around Thunder, it was obvious that he did care for the animal. 

“Horses are kind of majestic, aren't they?” Ennoshita-san mused as he leant down to pick up the comb so he could disentangle Thunder's mane. Ryuu had been too distracted watching Ennoshita-san to immediately register that the man was talking to him.

“Er, yeah, kinda. But they can also be really silly at times,” he said. “Especially this boy here.”

As if to prove Ryuu's point, Thunder tried to rub his head against Ennoshita-san's shoulder. Ennoshita-san took a quick step back, brows furrowed. 

“Why does he even do that?” he asked.

“I honestly don't know.” Ryuu shrugged. “He usually only does it with people he likes, though.”

That managed to put a smile on Ennoshita-san's face. 

“So you like me, huh?” he said softly as he went back to combing Thunder's mane. “I barely even know you, but I like you, too.”

Ryuu was about ready to disintegrate on the spot. He was perfectly aware that Ennoshita-san was talking to the horse and not him, and yet the words struck him like lightning. He also barely knew Ennoshita-san. Yeah, they had talked a couple times, and they'd spent an entire afternoon shopping together, but Ennoshita-san hadn't even lived in this town for an entire month. Why was Ryuu so drawn to him already? He'd stopped believing in love at first sight a long time ago, and yet here he was, charmed out of his mind by a single smile.

 

***

 

After half an hour, Thunder was clean and ready for his saddle and bridle. Chikara had hoped to draw out the grooming process for as long as possible. But here he was, standing in the middle of the riding hall as Tanaka-san demonstrated how to mount a horse.

“Make sure to sink into the saddle slowly,” Tanaka-san said as he lifted his right leg up in the air over Thunder's back. He sat down with exaggerated slowness, and Chikara couldn't help but admire the sheer strength and surprising litheness Tanak-san was putting on display.

“Do you want me to show you again, or do you think you can do it?” Tanaka-san asked as he dismounted.

“Um...” Chikara would've loved to see more of those amazing legs, but he also didn't want to stare too blatantly at his instructor's physique. “I can try.”

“Okay, show me what you've got!”

Chikara stepped forward and put his left foot into the stirrup before grabbing the pummel and reigns as Tanaka-san had shown him. It took a considerable amount of effort to lift himself up until his leg was straight. Grunting, he threw his right leg up in the air as high as he could so he wouldn't accidentally kick Thunder. By the time he sank into the saddle, Chikara was already sweating. 

“Holy shit, you made that look so easy,” Chikara muttered.

“You did well enough for your first try,” Tanaka-san said. “But we gotta practise that at least four more times.”

_ Why did I sign up for this? _ Chikara thought to himself, groaning audibly. But as he looked at Tanaka-san's wide, cheerful grin, he knew exactly why. He was a gay disaster, and there was no saving him from the hell he had created for himself.

And so he practised mounting and dismounting, first from one side and then the other, again and again, until Tanaka-san was satisfied. 

“Okay, and now we're going to fix your posture,” Tanaka-san said, eliciting another groan from Chikara. His legs felt like jelly already, and the lesson was far from over. It was no wonder that Tanaka-san's muscles were so well-defined after doing this for years.

“Shoulders back. Keep your heels low. Yes, just like that. Now let's do some lunging.”

 

***

 

“My legs will never be the same again,” Ennoshita-san sighed as he sat down in Ryuu's small kitchen after the lesson was over. His aunt had never bothered expanding her own house, always focusing on what was best for the horses instead, but Ryuu didn't really mind, especially now that it allowed him to sit down so close to Ennoshita-san. 

“You'll get used to it in no time,” Ryuu assured him. “A lot of people underestimate how much core strength you need for horse riding.”

“I sure did,” Ennoshita-san said. “You're amazing for doing this every day.”

Ryuu didn't know how to deal with compliments, so he just got up and busied himself with making tea.

“You did really well, though, considering that it was your first lesson,” he said as he waited for the tea to steep. “Did you ever do any sports?”

“I used to go to the gym regularly when I was still at university, but I got lazy,” Ennoshita-san admitted with a shrug. “I've spent most of my time in front of the computer screen recently.”

“Speaking of sitting in front of computers – how's your novel idea coming along?” Ryuu asked curiously. 

“I'm thinking of making it a fantasy adventure,” Ennoshita-san said. Ryuu's ears immediately perked up at the sound of that. He had since finished reading Ennoshita-san's first book and moved on to the second in the series. 

“That's very different from _Winter Flowers_ , isn't it?” Ryuu asked.

“I know that I got famous for writing romance and drama, but it's not all I am capable of,” Ennoshita-san said, smiling. “Most of the short stories I wrote at uni were science fiction and fantasy. I just wrote _Winter Flowers_ for the fun of it. It wasn't even supposed to be a novel length story, let alone a series. The whole thing just ran away with me.”

Talking to Ennoshita-san about his work was like peering into a completely new world for Ryuu. He'd never been the creative type himself, but he held a lot of admiration for artists, and Ennoshita-san was just that – an artist who painted worlds with words instead of brushstrokes.

“Goodness, I should stop keeping your from your work,” Ennoshita-san said, having emptied his cup of tea and taken a look at his watch.

“Don't worry, Noya-san would've called me if he needed help,” Ryuu assured him. It was probably true, though, that he should go and check up on the horses and refill the hay nets.

 

***

 

It was almost midnight when Chikara finally flopped down on his bed, ready for sleep. As exhausted as his body had been, his mind had been racing with thoughts and ideas that needed to be written down before he could forget them. He'd filled multiple pages with notes that night, emptying out his brain onto the white expanse of a blank text file.

But one thought refused to be written down, even if it was still haunting Chikara as he crawled beneath his blanket. 

_ I could absolutely fall in love with Tanaka-san. _

 


	5. Observers

Somewhere next to Chikara's head, his phone was ringing. He should've probably picked it up, but every single muscle in Chikara's body ached. It seemed like they were finally taking revenge on him after he'd succumbed to laziness and stopped going to the gym. Was he going to feel like this every morning after riding lessons? He sure hoped not.

Chikara's phone started ringing again. Groaning, he finally lifted his arm, grabbing around on his bedside table until he found the phone and could move it to his ear.

“Morning,” he mumbled sleepily.

“You sound like a zombie.” That sounded suspiciously like the voice of Chikara's agent.

“Hisashi, s'that you?”

“Yeah. Did I raise you from the dead?”

“I don't think zombies feel pain. But I clearly do.”

That made Hisashi chuckle.

“Are we talking about physical pain, or did Tanaka-san dump you?”

“I'm sore from riding lessons,” Chikara explained, only realising what that sounded like when Hisashi's chuckles turned into outright laughter.

“No! Proper riding lessons,” Chikara clarified, rolling his eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Not my fault that you don't think before you speak,” Hisashi said matter-of-factly.

Chikara sighed in defeat. “You're not just calling to make fun of me, are you?”

“Kazuhito and I managed to both get some time off for Golden Week, so we thought we'd come to visit you in Miyagi,” Hisashi got to the point.

“Oh.” Wincing at the pain Chikara slowly lifted his head so he could have a look at the calendar on his wall. “That's in two weeks.”

“I know it is,” Hisashi replied dryly. “Do you have enough space in your new house for us, or do we have to go looking for a hotel?”

“If you don't mind sleeping on a futon in my living room...”

 

Maybe it had been a bad idea to allow Hisashi and Kazuhito to visit. Chikara definitely regretted letting them inside his house five minutes after their arrival.

“So, where's this Tanaka-san you've been talking about?” Hisashi asked as he sat down on the couch with his boyfriend.

“Stop it.” Chikara glared at both of them, but they weren't deterred in the slightest.

“You are writing a novel that features magical horses, Chikara,” Kazuhito said matter-of-factly. “We just want to know who was able to mess with your head like that.”

“He's not messing with my head at all,” Chikara insisted. “He may be hot as fuck and have an amazing personality, but I actually do enjoy horse riding.”

Well, he enjoyed the part where he was doing the actual riding. The sore muscles in the morning? Not so much.

His friends were still not convinced.

“How do you feel about us watching one of your lessons?” Hisashi asked. “I think that way we'll actually be able to judge whether or not this is just a stupid whim of yours.”

The mere thought of having Hisashi and Kazuhito spectate as Chikara was practising the rising trot was mortifying. But if the look on Hisashi's face was anything to go by, there was no running away from this.

“I... I'll have to ask Tanaka-san first,” Chikara finally said. “He might not like having people watch lessons.”

 

***

 

When Ennoshita-san had said that his editor and agent would be coming to observe his next lesson, Ryuu hadn't expected the two of them to walk into the stable holding hands. Especially not since they were both guys.

“This is Narita Kazuhito. He works at Crow's Nest Publishing, and he's the editor who's in charge of me. And this is my agent, Kinoshita Hisashi of Flawless Agency,” Ennoshita-san introduced them.

“Nice to meet you!” Ryuu said, returning a quick bow. “I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke. I'm the owner of this stable and a certified riding instructor.”

Both Kinoshita-san and Narita-san gave Ryuu a rather thorough once-over before sharing knowing grins.

“Soo, Tanaka-san,” Kinoshita-san started, the grin never leaving his face, “are you single?”

That was pretty much the last question Ryuu had expected.

“Er, yes? Why are you asking?”

“Oh, we have this friend,” Narita-san said gleefully, “and you would be just his type, Tanaka-san.”

“Stop it!” Ennoshita-san hissed, his entire face burning red. He shook his head and turned to Ryuu. “I'm so sorry. They really don't know how to behave themselves.”

“Oh, it's fine.”

 _I feel like I'm missing something_ , Ryuu thought but didn't dwell on it. They had a riding lesson to get to.

 

As always, everyone convened in Ryuu's tiny kitchen after the lesson. Ryuu had offered to remain standing, since there only were three chairs, but Narita-san and Kinoshita-san declined, opting to share a chair instead. They really made quite the adorable couple.

“You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but how did you two meet?” Ryuu asked them after everyone had got a steaming cup of tea in front of them.

“Oh, you could say that Chikara was our cupid,” Kinoshita-san said, winking at Ennoshita-san who just rolled his eyes. “I negotiated his contract with Crow's Nest, and since Kazuhito was supposed to be his potential editor, he was around for the negotiations as well.”

“We eventually bonded over our mutual frustration with Chikara's lack of self-esteem,” Kazuhito added, grinning over both his ears.

“You guys are the worst,” Ennoshita-san sighed and hid his face behind his cup of tea.

Ryuu just laughed. It was obvious that these three weren't just colleagues. Their friendship ran a lot deeper than that. Somehow, Ryuu was glad that Ennoshita-san had people like this around him. Ryuu hadn't actively thought about it before, but it had been weird to see someone move into the middle of the countryside without his family or a partner or a friend. Knowing that Ennoshita-san did indeed have a support structure was a relief Ryuu hadn't realised he needed.

And so Ryuu smiled as they talked, happy to get to know these people who clearly cared about Ennoshita-san as if he was their brother.

 

“I'm sure we'll meet again,” Kinoshita-san said and waved on the way out.

“Yeah, you can come to visit any time!” Ryuu assured him and returned the wave. He was about to close the door when he noticed that Narita-san had stayed behind.

“Is something wrong?” Ryuu asked, frowning.

“I just wanted to tell you that if you ever want to get anywhere with Chikara, you have to make the first move. He's not going to do it, even if he's very much interested in you.”

And with that he turned around and ran to catch up with the others, leaving Ryuu to stare at Ennoshita-san's back as they walked away.

_He's interested in me?!_

Ryuu was tempted to call Narita-san back and ask for an explanation, but that would only draw the attention of the other two as well, and Ryuu didn't know if he could look Ennoshita-san in the face right now.

All of this had started as idle attraction and admiration – feelings that could be easily ignored in favour of the friendship and camaraderie they had built up over the past couple of weeks. Ryuu enjoyed Ennoshita-san's company, and while he probably would've tried to jump the guy a couple of years ago, he knew better now. He'd put off quite a few girls by being too aggressive, and when it came to men, he had a habit of falling for the straight ones. But if Narita-san's words were true, Ryuu was about to miss out on the chance of a lifetime if he didn't act on his feelings soon.

Ryuu desperately needed to talk to someone, so put on his shoes and went to the stable, where Noya-san was currently in the process of cleaning out the loose boxes.

“Noya-san, have you ever had the impression that Ennoshita-san might like me?” he asked without preamble.

Noya-san looked up from his work, leaning his elbow on the pitchfork.

“Would he be taking riding lessons with you if he disliked you?” Noya-san asked, sounding a little puzzled at Ryuu's sudden outburst.

“No, I mean... Ugh.” Ryuu took a deep breath. “Do you think I should ask him out?”

Noya-san laughed.

“Dude, there's no harm in trying. Weren't the two guys who visited today together? His friends are gay so it's not like Ennoshita-san would go all phobic on you.”

Noya-san was right. This was a very low-risk endeavour. But the thought of confessing to another guy that he liked him was still nerve-wracking.

“Damn, it's been ages since I even went on a date,” Ryuu muttered.

Noya-san, who had resumed his work in the meantime, laughed again.

“You'll be fine. Just take him out for a scenic ride once he's off the lunge for good,” he suggested. “Bring a little picnic. It'll be nice and romantic.”

That actually sounded like a good idea. Especially since it would give Ryuu some time to mentally prepare for it.

 

***

 

The night after Hisashi and Kazuhito went back to Tokyo, Chikara sat down in front of his laptop and looked over his outline.

_What does any of this even mean?_

Sometimes Chikara hated himself for the cryptic notes he left for himself. It was probably a side effect of writing most of them in the dead of the night when he was drunk on sleep-depravation. One day, he would write an outline that would not be confusing. One day. Maybe.

But for now, he had to sort out the mess he had left for himself, deleting random key smashes and nonsensical half-formed sentences. With that out of the way, he sorted the notes into world building, plot and character notes, colour coding them as he went along. But when he reached the end of the character description of the as of yet unnamed main character, Chikara paused and immediately reread it.

 

  * _Cheerful and boisterous_

  * _Always up for a competition_

  * _Hot-headed and quick to defend his friends and family_

  * _Prone to sudden moments of quiet and introspection that take people who don't know them really well off guard_

  * _Takes care of other people and inspires them_

  * _Very serious about their goals, even if that isn't always obvious to those around them_




 

Chikara groaned and rubbed his palms over his face. This was way too similar to what he'd been thinking about Tanaka-san. A couple weeks ago he had thought that he “might be able” to fall in love with Tanaka-san, but with the way things looked right now, it seemed like Chikara had already fallen.

As much as he had protested Hisashi's and Kazuhito's remarks about Tanaka-san being the only reason why Chikara would ever write a novel about horses, he finally had to admit that Tanaka-san was influencing him more than was probably good for him and his book. There was no way Chikara would keep up his momentum if he ended up being rejected by Tanaka-san.

But he also couldn't let go of these feelings. Tanaka-san had inspired him. Without him, Chikara would probably still be moping around, wallowing in self-pity as he failed to come up with a decent plot and characters. Tanaka-san was the spark that had reignited Chikara's flame, and as such, Chikara couldn't give up on him. Not without putting up a fight at least

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get real in the next chapter


	6. Clearing the last hurdle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be doing other things but EnnoTana happened

The weather outside was perfect – clear skies, a light breeze blowing over the pasture and fields, rays of sunlight reflecting beautifully off of Ennoshita-san's dark hair and bringing out a reddish undertone that wasn't visible most of the time. He was standing at the pasture, arms folded on top of the fence as he waited for Ryuu to show up for the lesson. Technically, Ryuu could've left Ennoshita-san to his own devices when it came to grooming and saddling Thunder. At this point, Ennoshita-san had proven that he could handle the horse by himself, and yet, Ryuu didn't want to give up a single minute of time that he could spend with Ennoshita-san.

“You're early,” Ryuu said as he stepped up to the fence.

“There's something really calming about just watching the horses,” Ennoshita-san said wistfully. “I'm not quite sure yet how to properly put it into words.”

“Can't help you there. You are the author, not me,” Ryuu joked, his heart skipping in his chest when Ennoshita-san reacted with a smile.

“I should probably go and catch Thunder, shouldn't I?” Ennoshita-san said, holding out a hand. Ryuu handed over the lead and headcollar he'd brought with him and watched as Ennoshita-san nimbly climbed over the fence. 

After a month of attending lessons two to three times a week, Ennoshita-san had become so much more comfortable around the horses, and Ryuu had just become more smitten. He was still holding on to the plan Noya-san had come up with and wanting to wait until he could execute that plan of going hacking with Ennoshita-san as an excuse for a first date, but his patience was wearing thin. Especially, since Ennoshita-san seemed to have gone on the offence after all, despite what Narita-san had said about his friend. It was like a switch had been flipped during Golden Week, and now Ennoshita-san was sending signals of interest that even someone as oblivious as Ryuu couldn't ignore. There were lingering touches when Ryuu passed Ennoshita-san a cup of tea, appreciative comments when Ryuu wore new breeches, and fond smiles that made Ryuu weak in the knees. 

Ryuu opened the gate for Ennoshita-san as he approached it with Thunder at his side.

“What will we be doing today?” Ennoshita-san asked as they made their way to the stables. 

“We'll have another go at the rising trot, and if that works as well as it did last time, we'll try taking the lunge line off,” Ryuu explained. 

“Oh.” Ennoshita-san frowned. “I'm not sure I feel ready for that yet.”

“You'll be fine!” Ryuu assured him. “You're a fast learner, and Thunder is a well-behaved boy.”

 

***

 

“You can return to the centre now!” Tanaka-san instructed.

Chikara heaved a sigh of relief, gently steering Thunder towards the middle of the riding hall. He patted the horse's neck and dismounted, his legs feeling as stiff as after his first riding lesson. 

“So, how does it feel without the lunge line?” Tanaka-san asked, grinning. 

“It's not as terrifying as I thought it would be, but I feel like I have aged ten years.”

Tanaka-san laughed, making Thunder's ears twitch.

“You'll get used to it. Give it two more weeks, and we can even go hacking for a bit!”

Chikara raised an eyebrow.

“Hacking?” he asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“Oh, you know. Riding outside. In nature. For fun,” Tanaka-san explained, motioning for Chikara to follow him as he left the riding hall. He fidgeted with the lunge line that he was carrying rolled up in his hands as they walked. “It's a great way to explore the countryside. We could even make a little event out of your first time hacking. I'll pack some food and tea, and we can have a picnic...” He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

Chikara swallowed hard. He'd barely had the nerves to ride around the riding hall on his own, but the opportunity of going out on horseback with Tanaka-san, enjoying the view and having a picnic was too good to pass up. It almost sounded like a date the way Tanaka-san was describing it. There was no way Chikara could say no to a date with Tanaka-san.

“Sounds lovely,” he said, stopping outside the stable to take off Thunder's bridle and exchange it for his headcollar so he could tie him up. “It'll also be a good opportunity to have a look around the landscape round here. I haven't actually left the village since that one time we went shopping.”

And it would be an even better opportunity for alone time with Tanaka-san without the possibility of curious eyes walking in on them.

 

***

 

“A good place for a picnic?” Yacchan repeated, frowning as she thought about an answer. “There's that spot up the mountain. You know, the one if you follow the trail to the south?”

Ryuu shook his head. He'd thought about that before as well, but...

“That's a little far for a beginner.”

“A beginner? Do you wanna go with the kids from the beginner's course, or...” Yacchan trailed off, her eyes going wide as realisation dawned on her. “You're going with Ennoshita-sensei.”

There was no sense in hiding it, so Ryuu shrugged.

“I gotta make a move eventually, and Noya-san thought this would make for a nice date...”

“Oh my god, that's so romantic!” Yacchan squealed excitedly. “Okay. I have an idea. How about you take him to that meadow in the woods? The trail is not as nice, but it's short. Also, if you take Thunder and Hana, they aren't likely to get spooked by breaking twigs and such.”

“Oh yeah, that might work,” Ryuu mused. He wanted their little trip to be nice and relaxing so it would leave a good impression on Ennoshita-san. Ryuu didn't want this to be the last time the two of them would go hacking. And he certainly didn't want it to be the last time he'd get to go on a date with Ennoshita-san. “I gotta go and find the saddlebags so I can bring food...”

“They are in the tack room. I saw them when I was looking for Snowflake's old saddlecloth.”

“What would I be doing without you?” Ryuu asked, smiling fondly. Yacchan returned the smile and turned back to her computer.

“You'd be hopelessly lost, Tanaka-san.”

Ryuu was not going to protest that.

 

***

 

Between horse riding lessons, his column in the women's magazine and the occasional visit from his elderly neighbours, Chikara was hard at work planning his novel. The world was starting to take shape in front of his inner eye, and the characters surrounding his main character were slowly developing their own personalities. They had motivations, hopes and dreams, and Chikara's fingers were itching to start writing about them properly. But he'd been writing for such a long time now that he knew not to rush the preparations. He wasn't quite there yet. Most characters still needed names, and the plot and timeline were not as fleshed out as they probably needed to be. And so he forced himself to be patient. 

Luckily, Chikara had something else to look forward to. His progress in the riding lessons had been good. Chikara had fairly good control over Thunder in all gaits, and his muscles had become used to the strain of riding. He barely even noticed any soreness when he got up in the morning after a lesson these days. 

“Today's the day,” he said quietly to Thunder, leading the gelding out of his loose box. Thunder rubbed his head against Chikara's shoulder in response as if he was trying to encourage his rider. Chikara chuckled and patted Thunder's neck. This horse really was the best thing that had happened to him in a long while. Without him, Chikara might never have managed to find the courage to talk to Tanaka-san. 

In the yard, Tanaka-san was already busy grooming Hana. Chikara tied Thunder up next to the strawberry roan mare. 

“We're really lucky with the weather,” Tanaka-san said as Chikara started picking Thunder's hooves. “It rained two days ago, so the trail shouldn't be sopping wet, but it'll still have a nice spring to it.”

“You said we're going into the forest, right?”

“Yeah. It's not the easiest trail, but it's relatively short, and Hana and Thunder know it well. We'll only need twenty minutes or so to reach our destination.”

On the one hand, Chikara was glad that he wouldn't be spending hours upon hours in the saddle, but on the other hand, he would've loved an excuse to spend more time with Tanaka-san. 

They chatted a little more while they readied their horses until finally, Tanaka-san excused himself into his house to fetch something. He returned with a blanket, two bento boxes, two cups and a thermos, which he placed into the bags that he had secured at the back of Hana's saddle. 

“That's our lunch,” he announced, smirking.

 

***

 

Ryuu had a close eye on Ennoshita-san as they made their way into the woods. Mostly, this was to make sure his student had everything under control, but Ryuu also thoroughly enjoyed watching Ennoshita-san. His smile as he took in the forest around them was bright and open. 

“This is amazing,” Ennoshita-san muttered.

“It's quite the experience, isn't it?” Ryuu couldn't help the grin. It was always a delight to go hacking, but it was even better with company like this. “I used to go hacking a lot more often before I took over the stable. I kinda miss it.”

Ennoshita-san hummed in understanding. “You seem pretty bus.”

“Yes, but I also love my job, so it's not too bad.”

“It's obvious you care about the horses,” Ennoshita-san said. “You are so gentle with them. The same goes for your students. I saw you with the kids last week, and they looked like they were having a lot of fun.”

Ryuu could feel himself turn red at the praise.

“How about your job? Is the novel finally coming along?” Ryuu asked to divert the topic away from himself. 

“I'm slowly getting to a point where I can actually start writing,” Ennoshita-san said, ducking under a low hanging branch so the two of them could continue riding side by side.

“You know, you do look a lot happier than when I first met you,” Ryuu said. “I'm glad the countryside could cure your writer's block.”

“The countryside is nice and all but...” Ennoshita-san trailed off and shook his head. “It's you and the horses.”

Ryuu had to utilise every ounce of self-control he had not to stop his horse right then and there and lean over to kiss Ennoshita-san. 

“I'm happy to hear that,” he said instead, looking ahead to gauge how far they still had to go. Luckily, he could already see the clearing up ahead. “Let's go a little faster. We're almost there!”

He gently applied pressure to Hana's flank, urging her to speed up her walk. Ennoshita-san followed his example.

 

***

 

They exchanged the horses' bridles for headcollars so they could graze while Tanaka-san and Chikara enjoyed their lunch. Tanaka-san had packed a lot of simple yet delicious dishes that went really well with the warm green tea from the thermos. They laughed and talked as they ate, Tanaka-san recounting stories from his eventing days. 

“...and then Snowflake just stopped so suddenly that I fell off and landed on my ass. I got away with a couple bruises, but that's how I learnt not to cut corners on an unfamiliar course.”

Chikara smiled and put down his chopsticks.

“Did you ever join a competition with Thunder?” he asked. 

“Nah. He doesn't really live up to his name, you know?” Tanaka-san explained, smiling fondly at Thunder who had looked up as soon as he'd heard his name. “He can be a bit of a rascal at times when it comes to treats like apples, but he's not particularly fast. He'd do well in the dressage part of the competition but other than that...” Tanaka-san shrugged. “He's a good horse for lessons, though. There's not a lot that can freak this boy out. Am I right, Thunder?”

The horse neighed softly before lowering his head again to graze. 

“Do you miss taking part in competitions?” Chikara couldn't really imagine that someone as passionate as Tanaka-san would give up a sport like that for good.

“Nah, not really.” Tanaka-san shook his head. “I mean, there are days when I'm hit by a wave of nostalgia, especially when I accompany students to competitions. But I prefer being an instructor. It's less stressful, and I still get to spend all day around these wonderful animals. And I get to spend time with a wonderful person like you.”

Slowly, Tanaka-san had shifted his position, closing the distance between them by putting his hand over Chikara's. Chikara felt warm all over. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up from it. 

“Hey, so I've been thinking,” Tanaka-san suddenly said, the words rushing out of his mouth as if he was in a hurry. “You are beautiful and talented, and I like you a lot. And if it's okay with you, I would love to take you out on another... d-date like this.”

So this was a date after all. This was too good to be true, and yet, Tanaka-san's hand on Chikara's was like an anchor that kept Chikara grounded in reality. This was real, and there was only one thing Chikara could do. 

“Yes, please,” he said and pulled Tanaka-san's face towards his own with his free hand. “I like you a lot, too.”

And then they were kissing in the middle of a forest clearing as two curious horses watched them. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!


	7. Epilogue - A year later

“I think we'll have to move the advanced class from Tuesdays and Thursdays to Mondays and Wednesdays, and then the schedule should work out,” Yacchan suggested, switching between different spreadsheets so Ryuu could compare them. 

“Yeah, that looks a lot more manageable. Can you add that to the website? And if you print out two copies, I'll put them up on the noticeboards in the stable and the riding hall. Oh, and maybe print a third one for the community centre.”

“Can do!” Yacchan said. “Let me clean this up a little first, so it looks more presentable...”

“Just call me when you're done,” Ryuu said, getting up from his chair. “I'll be in the feed room taking stock.”

There was a slight chill in the air as Ryuu stepped outside. Winter had lingered for a long time this year, and now spring wasn't ready to hand over the reins to summer. Rubbing his arms, Ryuu quickly crossed the yard, but before he could enter the stable, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Ryuu!”

He turned around to see Chikara jog across the yard to catch up with him, waving a book through the air and carrying more in his other arm.

“The advanced reader copies came in,” he said excitedly. “I have one for you, one for Yachi-san and one for Noya-san.”

“Oh! Nice!”

They shared a quick kiss in greeting before Chikara handed Ryuu a book. The cover showed a young woman riding a horse and staring off into the distance with the words “ _Guide my way_ by Ennoshita Chikara” in bold green letters printed at the bottom. Ryuu had been waiting to read this book ever since Chikara had first mentioned that he needed to take riding lessons because there would be horses in his next novel. And now he was finally holding it in his hands.

Ryuu completely forgot about how cold it was and opened the book on the first page.

 

_ Dedicated to Rolling Thunder. First, you stole my apple, and then your owner stole my heart. But without the two of you, this book would have never seen the light of day. _

 

Ryuu burst out laughing and shook his head.

“You are ridiculous, and I love you,” he said, pressing another kiss against his boyfriend's lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, commenting, leaving kudos etc! This fic was a lot of fun to write, and I'm kinda proud of myself that I managed to pull it off since I am not particularly familiar with English horse riding terminology and constantly had to look up how to translate certain phrases and equipment. I hope you guys enjoyed the EnnoTana horse shenanigans :)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com), [Pillowfort](https://pillowfort.social/Gilrael) and [myWriteClub](https://www.mywriteclub.com/beta/writers/Gilrael) if you want to keep up with my writing :)


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